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A History of the Broadway Musical Theater

College Edition

A definitive, accessible, and comprehensive history of the Broadway musical.

Here for the first time is the whole history of the musical, on Broadway and off. Stempel combines original research—including a wealthy of primary sources and archival holdings—with deft and insightful analysis, and explores the rich strands of musical theater by genre and type, looking at not only how musicals work but also how they serve as barometers of social concerns and bearers of cultural values.

Beginning with the scandalous Astor Place Opera House riot of 1849, Stempel traces the growth of musicals from minstrel shows and burlesques, through the golden age of Show Boat and Oklahoma!, to such groundbreaking works as Company and Rent. Stempel examines musicals in their cultural and historical context and includes detailed portraits of all the influential figures—the creators, directors, and performers—who made it all possible.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Large in spirit as well as scope, and as precise, humble, and wise as that Sondheim lyric with which it begins.” — Lloyd Rose, The Washington Post

“Theater buffs will be delighted to find that this scholarly, definitive work is also a hugely entertaining read.” — Publisher's Weekly

“This book is a home run: it is by far the best book ever written about Broadway, a magisterial critical history which will be required reading for virtually anyone interested in musical theater.” — Kim Kowalke, The Eastman School of Music

“Stempel has hit the trifecta: for academics, it’s a definitive work of scholarship; for students, it’s the perfect textbook; for ordinary lovers of musical theater, it’s a treat to savor at the end of a long day.” — Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Brown University

“A substantial work of American music history. Scrupulous but not fussy, learned but not pedantic, Stempel is a fine storyteller who delights in clarity and knows a good joke when he sees one. The precision of his thinking and writing gives the book an aura of authority keenly attuned to the tradition he critiques and celebrates.” — Richard Crawford, University of Michigan, emeritus, and author of America’s Musical Life: A History

Connects Broadway shows to American culture and history

Here
for the first time is the whole history of the musical, on stage and off.
Stempel illuminates how for two centuries, the Broadway musical has been a
living, changing genre shaped by the forces of American history and culture.

Comprehensive in scope

Showtime covers musical theater in three large sections: from the Civil War (and the Astor Place Riots) to the end of the nineteenth century, when New York became the hub of theatrical life; from the early twentieth century through Broadway’s Golden Age; and from World War II to the present day.

Detailed in approach

Stempel explains what each genre of musical theater is, how it works, and who made it possible. The text includes vivid accounts and portraits of talents such as Jerome Robbins, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bert Williams, Lillian Russell, Gertrude Lawrence, Rex Harrison, Mandy Patinkin, and many more.

Engaging, scholarly, and up-to-date

In covering the subject, Stempel combines decades of original research—including primary sources and archival holdings—with deft and insightful analysis.

Eye-catching, seldom-seen photographs

Showtime includes a 16-page color insert, plus 109 black and white photos of the casts, theaters, and performances described in the book.

PART TWO: INTO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Chapter 4: THE NATIVE WIT
Cohan and Times Square
Berlin and Tin Pan Alley
Bolton-Wodehouse-Kern: The Princess Theater
Chapter 5: THE CULT OF ROMANCE
Operetta: The Silver Age
Romberg and Friml Show Boat
Chapter 6: A SHADOW OF VULGARITY
Revues: Spectacular and Intimate
Musical Comedy/Musical Farce Comedy
Jazz-Age “Jazz”
Chapter 7: BROADWAY SONGBOOK
The Gershwins
Cole Porter
Rodgers and Hart
Chapter 8: THE SCRIPT ANGLE
A Musical Play Oklahoma!: The Musical Play
Literate Musical Comedy
Chapter 9: MUSICAL THEATER: THE NEW ART
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Lerner and Loewe
Harnick and Bock
Chapter 10: OPERA, IN OUR OWN WAY
Opera on Broadway
Broadway Opera West Side Story
Chapter 11: THE GREAT AMERICAN SHOWSHOP
The Abbott Touch
Harburg’s Circle
A Loesser Orbit
Comden and Green--and Styne

PART THREE: TOWARD THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Chapter 12: AWAY FROM BROADWAY
Early Alternative Musicals
The Off Broadway Renaissance
Farther “Off” and Coming Back
Chapter 13: THE METAPHOR ANGLE Cabaret and the Concept Musical
Prince, Sondheim & Co.
Sondheim After Prince
Chapter 14: A DANCING PLACE
The Ballet-Directors: De Mille and Robbins
The Hoofer-Directors: Champion and Fosse A Chorus Line and After
Chapter 15: DISTANCING EFFECTS
Rice, Lloyd Webber, and Rock Opera
Mackintosh and the Megamusical
Disney and the Movical
Chapter 16: ANOTHER BROADWAY… ANOTHER SHOW…
Revivals
Antimusicals
Sondheim’s Children